Posted 07-02-2003 at 21:50:46
[Reply][Send Email]A couple of weeks ago, I was weed-eating below the house, close to the road. When all of a sudden a quail came out of no where on the ground in the awfulest fit-I thought I had cut it's head off. Turns out it was leading me away from it's nest, she had 14 eggs in it. SO I have been keeping an eye on her and if I saw the cats or pups close, I'd get them back to the house for a treat. Well today I got my binoculars out to check on her. My heart sank as I saw feathers everywhere. One of my wife's cats had found the nest. The eggs were still warm, so I called around to find a incubator. No luck, I just had to leave the eggs. With 14 cats around here, I hardly see a bird anymore. Used to have Bluebirds,Mockingbirds,a dove nesting in the yard, and many more. As of tomorrow, I will try to find homes for 13 cats. By next week, no more than two cats are allowed at my house. Nuff' Said, BadMoon

Ever since I saw a cat tear into a robin nest of little ones, I have little use for them. I stick a BB in their butt, and they get the message.

Juliana

Posted 07-03-2003 at 19:13:16
[Reply][Send Email]Bad Moon, you can make an incubator at home. I used a styrofoam cooler, set the heating pad on high with a pan of warm water on it. Then use a wire and put the eggs on a towel, etc. and close the lid. Use any thermometer to keep the right temperature. Mark the eggs so you know which way to turn them. I don't blame you for getting rid of the cats. Good luck.

BadMoon

Posted 07-03-2003 at 10:46:37
[Reply][Send Email]Thanks one and all for your posts! Don't get me wrong, I do like cats, but too many can be a nusiance for me and the neighbors. The cats got started here because town folks no longer wanted them. Got a keeper spayed today and will have another done next week. That will be all I can handle. Found homes for 5 more within 3 miles of the house today. Now what to do with the other 7? BadMoon

Maggie/TX

Posted 07-03-2003 at 12:23:05
[Reply] [No Email]BadMoon, you can probably find homes for your cats at the local feed stores. Most feed stores welcome cats, as they keep rats away that might threaten their product.

Tom A

Posted 07-03-2003 at 05:57:06
[Reply] [No Email]I hated cats most of my life; they used the gardens as litter boxes, killed birds, bothered the dogs. Then we got this little farm and had rat problems. Figured I'd get a couple of barn cats to take care of them.

Got 2 half-grown kittens from a friend (the cats picked me), neutered 'em, got 'em shots and let 'em loose. Because of numbskulls throwing cats out along the road I now have five cats.

I WAS WRONG! Cats are great, or at least mine are. They keep rodents away better than traps or poisons (yeah, they get the occasional bird, too, but I suspect only the weak or sick ones). They do not bother my chickens (not even little peepies). I think they help keep the smaller hawks away from my critters, including little peepies. They come running to say "hi" like dogs, but don't get underfoot most times...they'll go away if I am working.

So I think on balance, having a few outside cats around are a good thing.

tom

Ayuh...

Posted 07-03-2003 at 07:54:52
[Reply] [No Email]One of our cats is the best 'dog' we ever had...

Comes when you call...FOllows you down the drive when you get the mail and stays out of the road...

Salmoneye

Lenore

Posted 07-03-2003 at 08:11:23
[Reply] [No Email]I think Top Cat, my cat must have a twin over there.That is how he is, too.He walks with me where ever I go; he avoids motorized vehicles. (Possibly because as a teenage cat he got bumped by one).He was sleeping under a Toyota pickup truck, when it started we heard a thump and he ran out from under it.We thought he had been run over and would die.He hyper ventilated for about 45 minutes.We took him in to the vet and nothing was broken.Since then if he hears any motor start up, he gets away!He only comes if I call his name and whistle for him.He also rings the his door bell when he wants to come in. :-)

Salmoneye

Posted 07-03-2003 at 08:53:47
[Reply] [No Email]This cat can open the door...Stands on her back legs and wiggles the knob till it pops open...Had to start locking that door so she wouldn't let the 'real' dog out at night...

Lenore

Posted 07-03-2003 at 09:02:52
[Reply] [No Email]I think they are very special critters, CATS.My previous cat tried that.My door was just a little tough to open, even for us.She would reach up with two paws and try; it did let us know she was ready to go outside.

KellyGa

Posted 07-03-2003 at 04:11:14
[Reply][Send Email]WHoever said cats are better than dogs never had a good dog. In my earlier years I had several cats all the time. I have two 14 year olds, that get more aggravating as they get older. They miss the litter box completely, or go on a throw rug, as I discovered THIS MORNING! Nothing gets along with cats. Birds hate em, dogs hate em, and when these two are gone, thats it for me. I am a dog person through and through. I have had my fill of cats! So I can definitely relate! :) Good luck finding new homes for them, I do believe once you take them on, whatever animal it might be, they are your responsibility. But no more cats for me. They are destructive, licking, chewing, scabby, hairball puking, stinky animals. Mine have no fleas, but they insist on that licking and chewing, therefore, the puking. Theres nothing like waking up in the morning and stepping square in a pile of upchucked hairball and food. EEWW. Dogs are just better, to me anyway. :)

Um...

Posted 07-03-2003 at 05:24:05
[Reply] [No Email]Aren't you the one from the post above with the rat problem?...

Put the cats outside, and don't let them in again...Sounds like the solution to a couple problems all at once...

I used to have trouble with red squirrels in my attic...Not since 94 though since my outdoor cats came to live...Had them spayed and they have never been in the house even when it is 20 below...

An occasional dead robin or young coney is fine by me as long as I don't have to deal with the danged squirrels...

cornfused

Posted 07-03-2003 at 04:04:21
[Reply] [No Email]Good for you. I talked to our DNR man a few years back and he said loose house cats have become the biggest threat to wild game birds. People dumping cats on the back roads has created a monster sized problem.